


you fill my head with you

by barelyprolific



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Confident Levi, Frat Boy Nico, M/M, Nerd Levi, Out Levi, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-18 10:52:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18248369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barelyprolific/pseuds/barelyprolific
Summary: Nico’s favorite days are the ones where Levi manages to hold in his ranting until they’re leaving class. It’s like he saves it just for Nico, those days.





	you fill my head with you

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to [theswiftiewholived](https://theswiftiewholived.tumblr.com/) for betaing!

In retrospect, Nico should not have done that sixth Irish car bomb.

He wakes up woozy, tries to sit up too fast and ends up vomiting into his wastebasket. Granted, it isn’t the first time his wastebasket has seen his regrets, but it’s not a good start to the semester.

Ah, _fuck_ , classes are starting. Nico scrubs a hand over his face, covers his eyes with his fingers. Cracks two of them to peek at the clock on his nightstand.

Double fuck.

Nico bolts to his feet, has to reach out and put his hand on his nightstand to steady himself. _Never again_ , he tells himself solemnly, starts wobbling towards his door, the bathroom beyond it.

Never again.

What a shitty way to start his senior year.

 

***

 

Why had Nico thought taking a class at nine in the morning was a good idea? He knows himself better than that. He doesn’t have time to do his hair, or stop and grab coffee, is dressed in faded jeans and a purple hoodie--not exactly the impression he wants to make to his professors--and literally has nothing for class when he slinks into the lecture hall almost ten minutes late.

The professor doesn’t say anything to him, but he does pointedly pause and wait for Nico to find a seat. First days are always packed because nobody’s dropped yet and people want in, so it takes him awhile to find one: up in the nosebleeds, crammed in the corner next to a kid in glasses. He takes the stairs two at a time, throws himself down and slouches low, sticking his legs out from under the desk.

Fantastic.

Nico can feel the kid next to him glancing at him. Whatever, he can look all he wants. His head is throbbing, stomach still sloshing. Tipping his head back, Nico closes his eyes as the professor starts talking again. At least up where they are, it’s dark.

The next thing he knows, his shoulder is being shaken gently. Nico inhales sharply, shifts a little, blinking his eyes open. Finds himself staring into murky eyes, wide behind thick-lensed glasses. “Hi,” he rumbles, voice sleep-thick.

The eyes get even wider, and now that Nico’s looking at his whole face, he gets to see it flush. There’s a light layer of stubble over red cheeks. His nose brightens, too, lips parting slightly. Nico smirks, slow and lazy, allows his eyes to flicker lower, over the rest of him, and back up to his face.

“Um,” This time, those murky eyes don’t meet his, looking anywhere else. “Class is over.”

Class?

Shit.

“Shit.” Nico sits up straight, runs a hand through his hair. “I slept through class.”

“You were also late,” the kid--Nico thinks it must have been the one he sat next to before--supplies. Unhelpfully.

“And hungover,” Nico groans, instead of snapping at the kid like his first instinct told him to. At least he’s feeling better.

“Oh.” The kid moves away, hands coming up to clutch at the straps of his backpack. “Okay, well. I have another class.”

Great. Nico watches the kid hurry down the stairs, out of the hall. Not only did he made a stellar first impression on the professor, some random frosh now thinks that he’s a giant loser. Which only matters because the kid’s cute, and Nico wouldn’t have minded seeing how far down that blush went.

 

***

 

Once Nico has some caffeine in him, the rest of the day is smooth. He hits the gym after his last class, comes out of the building in jeans and a tank that shows off his arms, hair finally gelled. Feeling like himself. Still, it’s probably for the best if he has a low-key evening, stays in and looks up the syllabus for his morning class, e-mails the professor kissing ass and swearing it won’t happen again.

He’s crossing the quad to the east side parking lot--there’s a 7-Eleven on the other side--when he spots the kid who woke him up. He’s standing with a small group, talking about something. At least, that’s what Nico assumes is happening, from all the gesturing. Gesturing which caught his attention in the first place.

Nico doesn’t know why he does it, but his feet swing that way, taking him closer to the group. They all seem to notice him at once, and the kid from before stops talking, mouth closing. Watching Nico warily.

“Hey,” Nico holds his hand up for a shake, gets blinked at for a few seconds. Then one of his friends gives the kid a little shove, and he stumbles forward, slaps Nico’s hand and bumps his fist. It’s a little awkward, and he’s blushing again. “I didn’t thank you for waking me up earlier.”

The kid shuffles his feet. “Um, well. You were drooling, so.”

“As long as I wasn’t snoring,” Nico laughs. “I’m Nico.”

“Levi.” The wind ruffles the kid’s hair, some of it falling into those murky eyes, despite his glasses. Nico can’t tell if they’re green or brown or hazel, or if they change with the light. “You--you don’t look like a freshman.”

Nico shrugs. “I had extra units, and writing sounded easy.”

Levi looks offended. It’s the first expression not flustered that Nico’s seen, and he kinda likes the way his chin tilts up and his mouth pouts out a little.

“It’s not,” he says. Nico rolls his eyes.

“It’s gotta be easier than being pre-med.”

“You’re pre-med?” One of Levi’s friends-the one who pushed him, a blonde girl--speaks up, looking interested.

“Senior year.” Grinning, Nico shrugs. “Gonna be busy. Which is why I wanted an easy class.” His gaze slides back to Levi.

“Us, too,” his friend tells Nico. He hums, doesn’t look away from Levi, Levi’s eyes.

“What, all of you?”

“Yeah. Levi, me, Casey, Dahlia. We met at a mixer for pre-med freshmen,” the girl explains. She seems to want Nico’s attention, which is...frustrating. He looks back at her.

“Oh yeah? Any of you rushing?”

“You’re in a fraternity?” Levi finally speaks again. His tone isn’t exactly thrilled, but Nico will take the opening.

“Beta Delta Sigma.” He stands up a little straighter, pulling his shoulders back a little. “Hey, even if you don’t want to rush, you should come by the house Friday night. There’s gonna be a pretty epic party.”

“Oh. Um, I don’t think so.”

Nico doesn’t let his face fall, reminds himself that he has Wednesday morning to change Levi’s mind. “Right, well. Invitation’s open. Think about it.” He nods over Levi’s shoulder at his friends, begins backing away. “See you in class, _Levi_.”

Turning smoothly on his heel, Nico starts heading in the direction he’d been going. As he walks away, he can hear the whispering start, and smirks.

 

***

 

Wednesday morning, Nico is not hung over. He’s actually out of bed early enough that he can fix his hair _and_ grab some coffee before class. The plan is to swing by the coffee stand closest to Alcott Hall, where his class is, and be waiting for Levi up in the nosebleed section, looking good and caffeinated enough to be charming.

The freshman has been plaguing his thoughts. When that happens it’s usually for a reason, so Nico’s willing to see where it takes him. It’s not that he believes in fate or anything dumb like that, it’s just...he wants to find out what color the kid’s eyes really are. Figure out other reasons to make him pout.

So maybe it’s been awhile since he’s gotten laid. He’s been single since the crash and burn that was his relationship with Mitchell last year, and Nico’s never been the kind of guy to have a string of one night stands.

He’s not perfect or anything, it’s just that he’s not interested in casual unless he needs to cut loose.  

The line shuffles forward as Nico contemplates what he’s going to say to Levi that will convince him to come to Friday’s party. Clearly, the fact that it’s at a frat house is the one that Nico’s going to have to get him over.

“Hi, what can I get for...oh…”

Nico’s head snaps up, eyes widening slightly, meeting Levi’s over the counter of the coffee kiosk. It takes him a second, but Nico recovers when red starts creeping down from Levi’s ears, grins.

“Hey. I was just thinking about you.”

Levi blinks. Bristles a little, once the words have processed. “Are you stalking me?” He demands it as he narrows his eyes behind those thick lenses.

“I just wanted coffee,” Nico chuckles. “You’re just...the bonus toy.”

Levi’s co-worker--Nico thinks it might be one of the girls from a couple of days ago--gasps, then giggles. Levi’s face gets redder, eyes narrowing further.

“What do you want?”

“Uh…” Nico pretends to think about it, still grinning as he leans back, studies the menu. Hands slipped into his pockets, like he plans to stay awhile. Levi huffs, rolling his eyes. Chuckling again, Nico leans forward. “Large dirty chai.” He tips his voice low, winks at Levi as he says it.

Levi’s co-worker starts giggling again. Levi, on the other hand, only looks annoyed.

“Is that a joke?”

“Nope. Just my order.” Nico keeps grinning, raises his eyebrows at Levi.

“Riiight,” Levi drawls, punches it into his register a little too forcefully. “That’s gonna be--”

“On the house,” his friend butts in. “Levi will be right out with it. His shift’s over.”

“Taryn--” Levi hisses, as the girl starts untying Levi’s apron for him and pushing him towards where their bags are hanging in the back of their cramped little booth. “You can’t just--”

“You have class in ten minutes, Levi. Let the pretty boy walk you there.”

“I hate you.”

“I can accept that.” Taryn hands Levi a steaming cup, puts a lid on it and shoves him out the door, to where Nico is waiting. “Toodles!”

Nico looks down at Levi, who is scowling so hard Nico’s a little worried that his face will get stuck like that, and takes the cup out of his hands. “We don’t want to be late.”

“You actually care about being late to a class you’re planning on just sleeping in?” Levi walks fast for someone with such short legs. Nico finds it easy to keep up, but he’s still impressed.

“The caffeine is so that I don’t sleep.”

“Ha. Ha.” Levi rounds a corner of the old brick building, starts taking the stairs up to the second floor two at a time. At the top, Levi turns, so that Nico can’t join him, so that he can look Nico in the eyes without tipping his head. “What are you doing?”

“Going to class.”

“You’re going to sit next to me again?”

“Was planning in it.”

Levi’s eyes widen, then immediately narrow. “What is your _deal_?”

“We’re going to be late,” Nico reminds him again, instead of answering. This is kinda fun, but he doesn’t want to actually piss Levi off.

Huffing, Levi spins on his heel and flounces--there is no other word for it--towards the doors that open to the top of the lecture hall.

Grinning, Nico follows after him.

 

***

 

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Nico makes a point to sit next to Levi in every class--without falling asleep. He shows up early enough to get stop at the cart and walk Levi to class, he isn’t hung over, and sometimes, he can even participate in the lecture.

Levi’s stopped glaring at him every time Nico comes near, so he thinks his methods are working. Sometimes, he even smiles when he sees Nico, and he’s pretty sure the last couple of days, Levi was watching the line for him.

Meanwhile, Nico has been watching Levi. Watching him cheerfully greet his customers, tease his friends. Mock Nico, ruthlessly--although not quite so ruthlessly, as of late. Maybe even fondly, lately.  

What’s really fun, though, is watching Levi get riled up in class. Sometimes, Nico can feel how tense he gets, how tightly coiled, as person after person gives an opinion Levi thinks is idiotic. He’ll huff, roll his eyes. Mutter under is breath. Finally raise his hand to argue, loudly, against the sheer collective stupidity that he apparently thinks their English Composition class is. Sometimes, Nico can’t hold back his laughter, has to turn it into a cough or Levi glares at him, too.

He likes Levi. Likes him a little more every day. Nico’s starting to think maybe, he could like him a lot.

 

***

 

Nico’s favorite days are the ones where Levi manages to hold in his ranting until they’re leaving class. It’s like he saves it just for Nico, those days.

“Thoreau wasn’t enlightened. _Walden Pond_ is a masturbatory ode to his own narcissism and gross superiority complex.” Levi says the words over his shoulder as Nico follows him out of class, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. “All transcendentalists were like that. Self-important, and they thought they were smarter and better than everyone else.”

“Well, they kind of were,” Nico argues, just to see what Levi will do, “That’s why we study them.”

Levi snorts. “We study them because they’re a bunch of white men who had a pseudo-intellectual boys’ club. Do you know how many authors who aren’t white or men we’re studying this semester?”

“If you have such a problem with the curriculum, why are you taking the class?”

“Because I like to write,” Levi says, shrugs. Pauses at the top of the stairs. “I do think I can become a better writer by studying the classics. It’s just that…”

“You think we should redefine what the classics are.”

Levi smiles, brows knitting together for a moment as he studies Nico’s face. “Yeah.”

“You read any Linmark?”

“ _Rolling the R’s_?” Levi offers. “My English teacher junior year assigned it.”

“Cool teacher.”

“Yeah.” Levi shuffles his feet. “So.”

“Sooo.” Nico draws the word out, lifts a brow.

“I guess you’re not a total idiot.”

Laughing, Nico shakes his head. “Careful. That was almost a compliment.”

“You haven’t earned a compliment yet.” Levi looks over his shoulder. “I have to go to class.”

“I’ll see you Friday?” Nico asks the question he asks every Wednesday as he brushes past Levi to get to the stairs, his mouth close to Levi’s ear. Watches with a slight smirk as he shivers, said ear turning pink.

“I’m not going to a frat party.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” Levi takes a deep breath, “I don’t--fraternize with fraternities. It’s against my moral code.”

“I want to hear about that code some time,” Nico says, instead of pointing out the obvious. “Guess I’ll see you Monday.”

“I guess so.” Levi’s eyes flicker over his face again. He seems confused about something, but whatever it is, he doesn’t say, and Nico doesn’t ask.

 

***

 

“Hey, Levi.” Nico pulls his wallet out of his bag. Six weeks into the semester, he’s got his routine down.

“Your order’s almost ready,” Levi says, waving away his cash. “I saw you get in line.”

“Maybe I wanted something different.”

Levi raises an eyebrow. “Did you?”

“Nah.” Nico shrugs.

“You’re a man of habit,” Levi says, solemn, murky eyes light, like moss, dancing brightly. He’s teasing him. He finishes foaming Nico’s drink, grabs a lid. “Which is why you should really get a reusable coffee cup, Nico. Seriously. You’re going through at least four paper cups a week.” Levi hands over that week’s third paper cup, takes off his apron and grabs his backpack.

Nico groans, shakes his head as he goes around the building to meet him. As soon as Levi is through the door, he asks, “Can you save lecturing me for when I make stupid comments in class?”

“It isn’t lecturing you. I’m just saying--you come by every shift. That’s a lot of waste.”

“You know what would solve the coffee cup problem?”

“A reusable coffee cup?” Levi stands three stairs above Nico and shoots him a coy look.

“No. Have lunch with me.”

Levi doesn’t even pretend to think about it, just shakes his head. “Nope. No lunches with frat boys.”

“Not even this frat boy?”

Levi purses his lips, studying Nico like he’s a specimen under his microscope. Shakes his head again. “Moral code.”

“I gotta hear more about this code.” Nico takes the last three steps, leans down into Levi’s space a little. “You sure about no lunch?”

Levi’s face is red, but he rolls his eyes, pushes Nico’s chest. “Not with you.”

 

***

 

Their midterm is a seven page paper, discussing something on the syllabus they haven’t discussed in class. They are, apparently, going to be using the papers to make a presentation that their professor will use to teach the topic.

Nico’s pretty sure it’s the biggest pile of crap he’s ever heard, and he tells Levi as much as they leave class, the day they get the assignment.

“He’s basically making us do his job for him, for a grade. How is that fair?”

“Mm,” Levi already has the syllabus out, is making little marks next to certain topics. Leaning over his shoulder, Nico shakes his head. “No, don’t do that one. Everyone’s going to want to do that one, a million people are going to try to sign up for it.”

Levi glances up, startling when he realizes how close Nico is, but he doesn’t speed up. It’s a little awkward to walk like that without touching, so Nico puts one hand on his shoulder. Levi doesn’t pull away from that, either.

“What are you picking, then?”

“Something fun.”

“Riiight.” Levi laughs, soft, brief.

“It’s a seven page paper. I might as well do it on something entertaining.”

“I look forward to finding out what you consider entertaining out of _these_ options.”

“Well, you’ll just have to find out when you read my paper.”

“Ugh, this is your short story all over again. Why don’t you let me read anything before you’re done writing it?”

“Because if I do, I won’t finish it,” Nico explains. “But if you want a sneak peek, we can write our papers together, and I’ll let you proofread it.”

Levi stops, turns around. Sizes Nico up with his hands clutching the straps of his backpack so tightly that his knuckles are white. Nico braces himself for the inevitable discovery that writing papers together for class is also something Levi doesn’t do with frat boys.

Instead, Levi says, “Okay.”

 

***

 

“You can’t use Shel Silverstein and Mary Oliver in the same paper,” Levi says. Waves Nico’s essay in his face over the library table between them. “That’s just--ridiculous. You’re ridiculous.” He nods decisively, and his bangs, particularly fluffy that day, wobble just a little.

“I think it works.”

Levi gapes at him, affronted, snorts, and pulls the paper back to re-read it. After he has, he grudgingly hands it back to Nico. “Alright, so maybe it works. But only because you’re talking about the use of onomatopoeia, though.”

Smirking, Nico leans back in his chair. He stretches his legs out from under the table, knocks his foot against Levi’s. “Told you.”

“Smug.”

Nico’s smirk stretches into a full-blown grin. He tilts his head back, studying the ceiling for a few seconds as Levi goes back to researching his own paper. There are three different books in front of him, all doubled in thickness because of sticky notes in multiple colors sticking out of them. There is a notebook full of scribbles that are so color-coded it looks like a rainbow vomited. Index cards are scattered everywhere as well.

He’s never met anyone who studies like Levi. The more they study together, though, the more Nico kind of gets the rhythm Levi has for it. Gets why Levi is so smart.  

Nico clears his throat before he loses himself in his thoughts, changes the subject. “How’s your medical terminology class going?”

The glare Levi shoots him is poisonous.

“I could quiz you, later.”

It makes Levi pause to hear it almost as much as Nico saying it gives him pause. He hadn’t meant to. Rejection isn’t really his thing. He’s really trying to back off. Their eyes meet, and Levi’s are such a dark brown they’re almost black.

“Don’t you have some party to get to?” He asks, soft like he’s just realized they’re in a library. Under the table, Nico feels his foot shift. Closer, not away. “It’s Friday night.”

“I can skip it. You can’t keep calling surgical tools animal body parts.”

“I thought skipping a frat party was illegal.”

“Eh, it’s a minor fine. C’mon. I’ll help you study, we can get pizza.” Shaking his head, Levi starts gathering his things. Nico watches him for a few seconds. “Let me guess. No pizza with frat boys.”

“No pizza with frat boys.” Levi gives him a small grin, like he thinks Nico gets it, or something.

He doesn’t.

“I’m not just a frat boy.”

“No, you’re not a total idiot. If you’re in a frat, you’re just a frat boy.”

Nico’s jaw tightens, just for a second. He breathes out through his nose, nods once. “Fine.” His voice comes out a little sharper than he means it to.

Levi’s expression falters, falls. He still packs up his stuff and leaves.

 

***

 

“Now who’s late?” Nico whispers, moving his messenger bag so that Levi can sneak in to his spot.  

“Shut up,” Levi hisses back, trying and failing to get his things out of his backpack quietly. “There was a rush right before the end of my shift.” He drops his notebook twice before he manages to get it on his desk.

“I saw,” Nico whispers back, leaning in so that he can speak more quietly. There’s a careful distance that he keeps, though. “It’s why I didn’t stop and say hi.”

Levi shivers anyway, turns his head just enough for his eyes to flicker over Nico’s face. There’s a hint of worry in the way his brow furrows. He licks his lips. “Oh. Right.” He pauses. “Thanks for leaving the door cracked for me.”

Nico nods. “No problem.”

 

***

 

Nico doesn’t believe in fate, and he’s not looking for a soul mate. If someone isn’t interested in him, he can back off. And Levi… Levi is clearly not interested.

So Nico backs off.

It sucks. It sucks way more than he thought it would, to stop seeking Levi out. He’d gotten used to morning coffee, to chatting with Levi as they go to and come from class. To the way Levi’s voice lifts and speeds up when he’s excited, sharpens when he’s upset. His hands, moving so wildly that Nico has to duck sometimes. The quirks of his studying habits, the warmth and brilliance of his smile. To those murky, mood ring eyes because, fuck.

Nico still doesn’t know for sure what color Levi’s eyes are.

It’s going to be so _hard_.

It all just...really fucking sucks.

“You’re moping, is what you’re doing.”

“I’m not moping.” Nico grabs the bottle of tequila out of Carina’s hand, lifts it to his mouth. He drinks too fast, sputters and chokes when he tries to swallow.

Carina makes a face. “You are. You are moping. You are wallowing. You are so sad about this freshman vir--”

Nico shoves the bottle at her, and she stops talking so that she doesn’t drop it and spill everywhere. He’s glad her brother isn’t home. It’s never as much fun drinking with Carina when her brother is home.

“He thinks I’m just some dumb frat boy player.”

“You miss him.”

  
“I talk to him in class.”

That hasn’t changed. The arguments, against each other, their peers, their professor. They still talk in class. Nico isn’t going to stop sitting next to him.

He thought about it. Thought about not sitting by Levi, taking one of empty seats closer to the professor, now that enough people have dropped for there to be empty seats.

Nico doesn’t want to, though. He wants to have arguing with Levi, at least until the end of the semester.

“You miss talking to him outside of class. Which is why you are getting drunk with me about him, instead of pounding down shots at one of your parties.”

“Your logic is illogical.”

Carina snorts. “You think if you change, he’ll think you’re worthy of him. But you don’t need to change. You’re not the boy he thinks you are.”

Nico doesn’t say anything.

Everything _really_ fucking sucks.

 

***

 

“How’d you do on your paper?”

The question startles Nico, who jumps slightly, looks away from the cookbooks he’s been studying for the last ten minutes. Cookbooks he’s thinking about checking out. He’s been trying to eat out less.

Levi is standing next to him in a powder blue hoodie, hair flat like he’s just tried to smooth it out. He offers Nico a smile that seems nervous.

“Fine.” Nico goes back to the cookbooks, pulls out one called _The Great American Table_. It is, surprisingly, not just full of fried chicken and hamburger recipes.

“You got a good grade?”

“Got an A.” Nico sighs, looks down at Levi. “You?”

“Me, too. I got an A too. I think, um, us writing them together really helped.” Levi clutches the straps of his backpack, shifts his weight. “How’s your short story coming along? Ready to let someone read it? Because peer edit sign ups are soon, and I was thinking…”

“Sure.” Nico gives him a tight smile. “Just put my name down and tell me where to show up.”

“Oh.” Levi nods. Licks his lips. Normally, that would make Nico lean in, whisper something flirty. But he’s not doing that anymore. He tucks _The Great American Table_ under his arm. “Okay, cool.”

“Cool. I’ll see you in class.” Nico gives Levi another tight smile, and leaves him standing among the bookshelves.  

 

***

 

“Large dirty chai.” Levi sets the cup down on Nico’s desk, then stands next to it. His fingers are twisting together, weight shifting from foot to foot. Nico stares at the cup, then looks up at Levi.

“Thanks?”

“You don’t come by anymore.” Levi moves, shuffles past Nico’s long legs. Shrugs out of his backpack and sits next to Nico, turned towards him. “I’m sorry about what I said. About you being just a frat boy.”

Nico shrugs. “You have a moral code.”

Levi winces. “That was stupid. When I said that, it--I was stupid. For saying it. I’m stupid for saying a lot of things. I don’t always...think. Before I talk.”

“Levi…” Nico sighs. Shakes his head. “You don’t have to do this. Apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. You just weren’t interested. I’m not your type. It happens. I’m not mad about it. I backed off.” Levi gives Nico a doubtful look that has him closing his eyes, sighing. “I mean it, Levi. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not.” Levi says it a little loudly. Nico opens his eyes; people turn around, glare. Class hasn’t started yet, so Nico glares right back. His face softens when he looks back at Levi, who keeps talking. “I was wrong. About you. And I’m sorry. I...miss you.”

What is he supposed to say? What can he say? Nico feels like his heart is thin and brittle, that if he opens his mouth, anything he says will shatter it. Helpless, he looks at Levi’s face. Allows himself to really look at it. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but… Levi’s stubble has gotten darker, filled in more, and his hair’s a little longer. He blinks at Nico behind those big glasses. When Nico doesn’t say anything, Levi sucks his bottom lip between his teeth and worries it for a few seconds. He’s clearly thinking about something. Finally, Levi takes a breath.

“Does Beta Delta Sigma still do standing Friday night parties?”

 

***

 

As usual, the party’s been going on an hour and it’s already too loud and too crowded. Nico’s been debating just going up to his room to ride it out, which means it’s probably time find Levi, since he’d actually shown up. Nico detours to the kitchen, grabbing two beers from the ice chest, then goes in search of the freshman.

Levi is sitting on one of the couches, slouched down with his arms crossed over his chest. Pouting. There’s a cup in his hands, and Nico watches him raise it and take a sip, make a face, lower it again.

“I think you might like this better.” He moves fast, sitting down, setting one of the beers on the coffee table to use his freed hand to tug the cup away. He hands Levi the other bottle, picks the first one up again and drinks from it. “You don’t look like you’re having fun.”

“All my friends ditched me,” Levi grumbles. Looks at Nico, jerks his gaze away. “You barely said hi and then disappeared. Why did you even let me come if you were just gonna…” Levi breaks off, looks down at his beer, thumbnail picking at the label of his bottle. Swallows. “I’m trying, here,” he finishes, voice small. Nico lifts an eyebrow, moves one arm to the back of the couch and leans in to him a little.

“I know.” A pause. “What if… You have my undivided attention for the rest of the night? Will that make it up to you?”

Levi looks at Nico quickly, realizes how close their faces have gotten through Nico’s subtle shifting, flushes red. Even his nose brightens, his lips parting, murky eyes flickering down to Nico’s mouth without subtlety, jerking back up as his tongue darts out. Nico’s hips shift a little, and it rubs their thighs together.

“Um,” Levi whispers, “I--I guess that would be okay.”

Smirking, Nico pulls back, just enough to let Levi breathe, calm himself down a little. Then he reaches out, slides his fingers up the inside hem of Levi’s jeans to catch at the tense curl of his free hand, tangle them with Levi’s. He stands, tugging the younger man to his feet. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Levi asks, already following regardless. Nico glances over his shoulder at him.

“My room.”

Levi stumbles slightly, but Nico was kind of expecting it, pauses so that Levi can steady himself by squeezing Nico’s hand. He’s overthinking things right now. Nico would place bets on it. Which isn’t what Nico wants.

He wants the Levi he gets in their comp class, whose eyes get fiery and words get sure when he and Nico argue about shit like the merits of contemporary American first person point of view. The Levi who knows he knows his stuff.

It’s okay, it’s fine. Nico knows with a little patience and less social pressure, he’ll get that Levi. He leads him up the stairs, pausing to unlock his door. “Nobody but me fucks on my bed,” he explains, flashing Levi a grin that makes him go bright red. Nico locks it again once they’re both inside.

Levi stands in the middle of the room, stiff, hands at his sides, fingers tapping nervous rhythms against his thighs that don’t quite match each other. Nico breathes out through his nose, debates his next step. It’s probably best if he just…

Moves closer, into Levi’s space, watching Levi’s eyes track the shrinking distance between them before darting up, wide, to meet Nico’s, is exhilarating. Nico raises a hand, brings it to curl at the collar of the short-sleeved, white button up Levi’s wearing. Rubs his thumb over the peek of chest hair that’s been driving Nico a little nuts all night. There’s a soft, barely audible pop as Levi’s lips part with a gust of air. The noise pushes Nico into action, his fingers tightening the grip he has on the fabric of Levi’s collar as he jerks him forward, crushes their mouths together insistently. Levi’s hands flail, land on Nico’s shoulder, curl at his wrist, slide up into his hair and tighten, tug. Pulling Nico down so that he can tilt his head, slide their lips against each other.

The shiver starts as a prickle at the back of his neck with the first scrape of Levi’s stubble against his skin. A small, tiny gasp, like Levi is surprised that they’re kissing, that Nico is kissing him. It starts as a prickle, skitters down his spine to make his dick twitch, start to plump up in the confines of his boxer-briefs. His hands slide down, over the softness of Levi’s sides, around to cup his ass and jerk him closer, rubbing their hips together.

Levi breaks the kiss, hands sliding down to Nico’s chest again, pushing him back just enough to tip his chin up and meet his eyes.

“I, um…” He pauses, looks down, bites his lip. Nico allows his hands to slip up, under Levi’s fancy white shirt, to stroke at overheated skin. Waits. “I’ve never...done this. Before.”

That’s been obvious to Nico for weeks, but he’s not going to say it. He’s not going to do anything to make Levi even more self-conscious than he already is.

“You sure you want to?” Nico checks instead, stills his hands. Levi doesn’t look up for a moment, drums his fingers against Nico’s chest.

“I want to. I just want to know what happens afterwards, first.”

_Ah._

Nico slides his hands up Levi’s back, trails his fingers down his spine, slides them around to stroke at the soft fuzz on his belly. He feels Levi shudder, suck in his stomach before he relaxes again. Flattening his palms, he curls them around Levi’s hips. Squeezes gently.

“There’s never any coffee in this house.”

Levi’s head whips up so fast he almost hits Nico in the nose, eyes narrowing. He starts to pull away. “You’re messing with me.”

“No, no.” Nico uses his hands on Levi’s hips to hold him still. “I’m really not. I want you. I _like_ you.”

“I asked what happens after this and you brought up coffee--”

“Because,” Nico leans down, kisses Levi’s jaw even as he keeps trying to talk, “I’m going to have to go get us some.” Another kiss, a little higher up. Levi’s fingers tighten in his shirt. “In the morning. And I don’t want you thinking I took off, because I want you still be in my bed when I get back.” He whispers the last words against the shell of Levi’s ear just to make him shudder again.

“O-oh. So. This…”

Nico smirks, starts walking Levi back towards his bed. “This is just the start, Levi.”

“Just the start,” Levi repeats, looking up at Nico again, arms sliding back around his neck once more. He bounces a little, when his knees hit the mattress, eyes flickering over Nico’s face. Nods. “Okay.”

Levi throws himself backwards onto Nico’s bed, and with a laugh, Nico gets dragged down with him.

 

_**Epilogue** _

 

“This is so much nicer than the Beta Delta Sigma house,” Levi declares to himself, hands on his hips as he looks around the one bedroom apartment that is going to be Nico’s for the next year, at least. Well, his and Nico’s.

He’s still wrapping his head around that last part. He’s moving in with his boyfriend.

Honestly, Levi’s only just gotten used to the fact that he has a boyfriend. A boyfriend who might actually be perfect, Levi thinks, in a slight daze as said possibly perfect boyfriend comes up the stairs and through their open front door, carrying a box that weighs enough that his muscles bulge a little against his already clingy t-shirt.

Levi bites his lip.

“Is that stuff for the bedroom or the kitchen?”

“Living room,” Nico grunts, setting it down in the middle of the living room.

“Ah,” Levi nods sagely. “Books.”

“Books.” Nico wipes his forehead with his arm, leans down to kiss Levi. Giggling, Levi leans back and wrinkles his nose. Nico settles for nuzzling and kissing his temple instead, wrapping one arm around his waist. Levi puts his hands on his chest, gives in and wraps his arms around his neck.

“Sweaty,” he complains, pushes up on tiptoe, and kisses him.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.


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